UM researchers receive more than $1.5 million infrastructure investment from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Eight new UM research projects have received critical infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund. In total the successful researchers have received $1,584,903.

“I congratulate all of these researchers on their success in expanding the scope and impacts of their research programs,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “This funding advances UM strategic priorities for research with, by and for Indigenous Peoples, among others, by providing critical platforms, one of the four Ps in our Strategic Research Plan”.

Dr. Lara Rosenoff Gauvin (Anthropology, Faculty of Arts), Dr. Laura Kelvin (Anthropology, Faculty of Arts) and Heather Bidzinski, (Archives & Special Collections)

The Heart: Multiple Pathways to Indigenous Heritage Rematriation

Guided by The Respectful Rematriation and Repatriation Ceremony at UM and Agvituk Heritage Access and Care, “The Heart” project is part of an ongoing transformation of heritage research, policy and practice in Manitoba and Canada.

This new research infrastructure will include a physical centre on campus and a mobile unit for the repatriation and rematriation of cultural heritage currently housed at the UM. It is supported by a part-time Elder-in-residence and a technology suite for community-controlled work.

Dr. Rosenoff Gauvin

Dr. Kelvin

Heather Bidzinski

Dr. Brosowsky

Dr. Nicholaus Brosowsky (Psychology, Faculty of Arts)

The Immersive Cognition Laboratory

This project seeks to understand how we focus our attention in everyday situations using advanced virtual reality technologies including eye-tracking motion-capture VR and a driving simulator. The research will inform actionable solutions to improve road safety and provide better cognitive health support for the aging population.

Trainees in the Brosowsky lab will gain a deep understanding of behavioural science and will high-level technical skills empowered to address public safety and healthcare challenges in Canada.

Dr. Alley

Dr. Karen Alley (Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources):

Imaging Inaccessible Ice: Glacier Monitoring at the Ice-Ocean Interface

By obtaining detailed observations of the interactions between glaciers and ocean water, Dr. Alley seeks to better predict the rate of future global sea-level rise. 

This project will deploy autonomous vehicles using ice-penetrating technologies at ocean-terminating glaciers in Nunavut in collaboration with local communities. Complementary infrastructure will monitor ocean and atmospheric temperature, as well as ice-front calving, glacier speed and surface hydrology.

Dr. Gao

Dr. Xiaopeng Gao (Soil Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences):

Optimizing Soil Fertility Management for Better Grain Nutritional Quality

This research aims to address soil fertility issues to enhance crop production and improve nutritional quality, thereby supporting Canada in producing higher-value grain products and strengthening its global competitiveness in the grain market. The newly funded infrastructure includes a growth room, UV spectrophotometer, and specialized root-testing lysimeters, enabling Dr. Gao to simulate climate change scenarios and investigate nutrient flow from soil to plants to humans.

Dr. Marcogliese

Dr. Beattie

Dr. Paul Marcogliese and Dr. Robert Beattie (Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences):

Functional Integration of Neurogenetics in Development & Disease

The Marcogliese and Beattie labs have found synergies in studying the genetic roots of neurological disorders affecting movement and will use newly funded automated tools for state-of-the-art precision motor assessment in animal models.

In combination with the newly acquired high-end super-resolution microscope which allows for tracking changes in motor and neuronal function at the single-cell level, the team aims to generate high-quality data that will aid in diagnosis and enable the assessment of drug efficacy. These advances are critical for targeting disorders with little to no effective treatment strategies.

Dr. Mendelson

Dr. Asher Mendelson (Internal Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences):

Microvascular Physiology, Exercise, and Muscle Research Facility for Studying Critical Illness

Dr. Mendelson seeks to establish a UM Microvascular Physiology, Exercise, and Muscle Research Facility located at the site of clinical care at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg and UM Bannatyne campus.

This facility will comprise state-of-the-art tools to evaluate microvascular blood flow, oxygen utilization and muscle strength during exercise. Discoveries from this research will improve diagnosis and treatment during and after ICU admission for Canadians suffering from critical illness.

Dr. Rosell

Dr. Cristina M. Rosell (Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences):

Platform maximizing the value of co-products from plant-protein processing

Canada is a global leader in plant protein production, however new techniques used to obtain high-purity protein from cereals and pulses also generates copious waste.

Enhanced by this new research capacity, the Rosell lab will offer a unique interdisciplinary training environment while adding value to nonprotein co-products. By improving the sustainability of Canada’s plant protein industry this research will alleviate environmental and economic impacts of undervalued waste.

Dr. Uyaguari-Diaz

Dr. Miguel Uyaguari-Diaz (Microbiology, Faculty of Science):

Promoting equitable access to safe water in First Nations and urban communities by assessing water safety and security

New sequencing tools and sample preparation platforms provided by this funding will allow researchers to analyze microbes and antibiotic resistance in the water infrastructures of First Nation communities of Manitoba for the first time ever.

Studies enabled with this new infrastructure will generate the metagenomic libraries needed to identify clinically important pathogens with antimicrobial resistance in the environment. The long-term goals of Dr. Uyaguari-Diaz will develop new diagnostic tools identifying human and environmental health risks facilitating rapid remedial actions in affected communities.

UM Today Staff